Sometimes Can-Can’s mischievous words and antics gave Qi Sen a headache, but he couldn’t deny— this little dumpling had brought a lot of joy into his life.

Right now, his little ball of happiness was stretching her neck as far as she could, trying hard to see what Shu Shu was eating.

“Can-Can, we’ll have the same thing later,” Qi Sen said.

Shu Shu chuckled and pushed her big bowl toward Can-Can. “Want to try one first?”

Can-Can shook her head, glancing seriously at Qi Sen. “Big brother, Can-Can doesn’t want a big bowl. It’s too much, I can’t finish it.”

Shu Shu hadn’t expected her to be so sensible. So young, yet already mindful not to waste food.

Such a serious little girl— it would be a crime not to tease her a little.

“But Big Sister can finish it. If you can’t, doesn’t that mean you’re not the best little kid?”

This time, Can-Can didn’t fall for it. She straightened up and replied seriously with her soft little voice:

“You’re a big person. I’m a little person. Of course little people can’t eat as much!”

Shu Shu burst out laughing inside but kept a straight face. “So you’re a little person, huh?”

Qi Sen shot her a sidelong glance.

Can-Can, completely unaware of the joke, hopped off the bench and pointed seriously to her head. “See, Can-Can’s so tiny. Of course I’m a little person!”

Shu Shu almost lost it.

But she managed to smile kindly and say, “Alright, alright, I get it. You’re a little person.”

Qi Sen couldn’t stand to let his baby sister carry the stigma of being called “a little person,” so he picked Can-Can up and moved to a seat farther away from Shu Shu.

Shu Shu silently rolled her eyes.

This Qi Sen… so ridiculously overprotective. She was just teasing a bit! Isn’t that what human cubs are for? To play with!

Her phone buzzed.

Her best friend texted: 【Just left the house, almost there.】

Shu Shu believed the “left the house” part. The “almost there”? Yeah right.

Bored now that her little plaything was gone, Shu Shu opened the Shangshi High School forum.

As soon as she logged in, the entire page exploded with HOT posts, and her spirit lifted instantly.

A juicy scoop!

Gossip had arrived!

But when she leaned in to read the headline carefully, her smile faded.

The gossip… was about Qi Sen?

Shu Shu quietly slid her phone over to Qi Sen, hinting for him to take a look.

—

Today, the hottest thread on Shangshi High’s forum was titled:

[Shocking! Qi Sen and Pei Shen’s First Clash!! It’s Here!!]

But in truth, the event wasn’t nearly as dramatic as the title made it sound.

Somehow, the news of Qi Sen trying to find a way to contact the rich second-generation students got leaked onto the forum. And at Shangshi High, pretty much everyone except Qi Sen and a few clueless souls knew— Lao Tan, the guy Qi Sen asked for help, was Pei Shen’s number one fanboy.

Meanwhile, in the forum, the two camps of worshippers—Pei Shen’s and Qi Sen’s—were locked in constant cold war.

Pei Shen’s chemistry fanboys and fangirls always lamented online, “Since Qi Sen was born, why did Heaven also create Pei Shen?” as a sad, regretful cry.

Meanwhile, Qi Sen’s fans knew he ranked top of the grade in almost every subject— except chemistry.

No matter how hard he studied or crammed, chemistry was like a locked door he just couldn’t open.

It became the single biggest obstacle keeping him from being the undisputed number one.

And his “rival,” Pei Shen— was a certified chemistry genius.

The irony made people crazy.

Over time, even if Qi Sen and Pei Shen never spoke, the school forums had imagined enough drama to fill entire soap operas.

It was just like when fangirls watched a drama and screamed, “Ahhh look how sweetly he smiles at her!!” except in reverse—

Every glance between Qi Sen and Pei Shen was dissected into:

【OMG OMG! Qi Sen and Pei Shen lined up together at lunch! Qi Sen looked at Pei Shen like he wanted to murder him!】

【I heard after the chemistry grades came out, Pei Shen laughed at Qi Sen’s score!】

…

Over a year or two, without either of them doing anything, Qi Sen and Pei Shen were crowned the school’s ultimate mortal enemies.

Of course, Pei Shen knew about all this.

He just didn’t care. After all, he didn’t like that emotionless deadpan face anyway.

Now, news that Qi Sen had something to ask Pei Shen for exploded like fireworks across the forum.

【I don’t know what Qi Sen needs, but I swear I’ll give up milk tea for half a month if Qi Sen actually begs Pei Shen!! Our school prince has dignity!!】

【Hahaha, even if Qi Sen begs, you think Pei Shen would actually help?】

【Exactly! You think Pei Shen’s the kind of guy to help just because someone begs?】

【Don’t you dare look down on Pei Shen!!】

…

After scrolling through pages and pages, one thing stuck firmly in Qi Sen’s mind:

They really thought he would beg?

Across from him, Shu Shu asked curiously: “So… what’s all this about?”

Qi Sen placed the steaming wontons onto a side dish to cool, then carefully set the cooled ones in front of Can-Can.

Only then, in his usual calm tone, he said: “Just family business.”

But inside, Qi Sen wasn’t nearly as composed as he appeared.

Ever since that phone call from Xu Zhen, he kept thinking about one particular point she’d made.

Can-Can was a child he picked up. Technically, all it would take was one call to the police, and they’d whisk her away to find her real family.

He was just her fairy brother from a past life. In this life, by law, they had no blood relation.

If the authorities stepped in, he had no way to keep her.

That’s why he had to hurry.

He had to find his biological parents— talk to them— and make them agree to adopt Can-Can.

Give her a real home. A stable place to belong.

Qi Sen lowered his eyes and set his phone down. Then he asked out of nowhere:

“I heard your mom’s a screenwriter?”

He remembered when he used to buy books at Shu Shu’s shop, he often overheard girls gossiping about the shop owner’s famous mom. Once, he caught a few words about her being pretty well-connected.

Shu Shu nodded casually while munching on a wonton. “Yeah, what about it?”

Qi Sen’s voice stayed calm, but his next words made Shu Shu nearly choke on her food.

“Could you ask her to help me get in touch with Jiang Ying?”

Jiang Ying. The award-winning actress. The top queen of the entertainment industry.

Shu Shu blinked in disbelief. “You mean… the Jiang Ying?”

Qi Sen nodded lightly.

Seeing her stunned expression, he explained quietly:

“She might be my biological mother.”